Lost But Not Alone
by mywarisalreadywon
Summary: Something I came up with one rainy night. What if the PAW Patrol was all in Ryder's head? How did that happen and what will happen to him now?


If you asked anyone, they would tell you it was a tragedy any way you looked at it. A loving family and their home were reduced to ashes. The family, jokingly called the Ryder Clan, consisted of Jenny, Mrs. Ryder; David, Mr. Ryder; Zach, the oldest; Skyler, the only daughter; Marshall, the clumsy son; Zuma, the youngest; Robby, the one who was never far from some Legos; and Rocky, the one who refused to get wet unless it was absolutely necessary. Of course, they had recently acquired another member on Zach's latest birthday. Little Chase was a purebred German shepherd whose mother died in the shelter in town. Chase wasn't expected to live due to his small size, but Zach immediately knew that the small puppy was special. After a few months, Chase got bigger and was soon healthier than anyone would have expected.

It was only seven months after Chase's adoption that the fire happened. A section of faulty wiring in the old house sparked and caught fire one summer night. The whole family was sleeping when it happened. At the foot of Zach's bed, Chase sat up abruptly. His nose twitched at the bitter smell of smoke. He jumped off the bed and followed the smell until he saw flames, at which point he let out a loud howl. He raced through the halls and knocked each door open. He ran back to his human's room and tried to drag Zach out of bed. The rest of the night was a blur of orange, red, black, and fear. Fire blocked all exits and Chase huddled with Zach as flames covered the room. The roof collapsed and the ten year old boy was soon rendered unconscious as a large beam hit his head. Chase stood over him, trying his best to protect his owner. When the smoke started making him sleepy, Chase slumped onto Zach. He stayed awake long enough to see the huge people in weird looking clothes and helmets come in, and then everything went black.

Zach Ryder was the only survivor, well, him and his puppy. After regaining consciousness in the hospital, the boy started talking about things that didn't make sense. He talked about a place called Adventure Bay and people who didn't exist. He started talking about pups saving people and fixing things. The psychologists determined a mix of brain damage due to lack of oxygen from the fire and traumatic stress caused the boy to make a world in his head to cope with the loss of his family. In this world, Marshall, Skye, Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble (who they assumed was Robby) helped people and kept this world safe. Chase was also in this world. They were all puppies and they were able to talk and reason like people. The real Chase was currently in a shelter and hadn't seen what was left of his family since the fire. The doctors decided to wait it out and see if Zach got better on his own.

After a month, and no decrease in this delusion, they decided to move the boy into a psych ward so that he could get better treatment. Zach's health started to decline and the doctors didn't know what to do. A nurse suggested letting Chase visit. When Zach saw Chase, he was overjoyed and, after a week of everyday visits, started getting healthier. Zach's doctor decided to let Chase move into the hospital because of the impact on the last Ryder. The dog was protective of the young human and, surprisingly, made sure that the boy was taking care of himself. The dog slept by Ryder's side every night. They ate breakfast together. Chase helped get Ryder into a routine and was a shockingly well-trained dog. The staff came to love the puppy and frequently gave him treats when they checked on Ryder. Both dog and boy loved being outdoors and played outside frequently. With Chase being there, Ryder was almost normal. Unfortunately, his being a minor and his continuous delusion made the state unwilling to let the boy out of the facility.

When Ryder turned eighteen, he had nearly forgotten his past delusions. They had faded with time and, although he still had occasional lapses, he had grown into quite the young man. Chase too had grown, getting big and staying completely devoted to his owner. Ryder missed his family, and sometimes those pups that he remembered but couldn't remember clearly enough to describe beyond their breeds, but he had learned to move on with the help of his best friend. Sitting in the shade of a large tree, he decided that, although not all of his memories were accurate or even true, he was never alone. He had the loving dog curled up beside him and, even if he got lost in his own head again, Chase was on the case and would bring him back home.

**Fin**

**Okay, so I was watching this show, because eighteen year olds can love kid shows too. This idea popped into my head today and wouldn't let me sleep until I'd written it. I started thinking about what if this was all in Ryder's head and what would make that happen. Anyway, love this show, love cute puppies, love telling my dog that he's not as cool as them, lol. **


End file.
